Electric curling-iron.



E. SCHWARTZ.

ELECTRIC CURLING IRON.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 22. 1914.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

UNTTED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

' EDWARD SCHWARTZ, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONTHIRD TO HERMAN BOLLIN AND ONE-THIRD 'IO JACOB L. BURGARD, BOTH OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC OUBLING-IBON'. i

Application ledi'ctober 2,2, 1914. Serial No. 868,003.

To all whom it may concern:

l Be it known that I, EDWARD SCHWARTZ, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Racine, county of Racine, and

State of Wisconsin, have invented certain rate heater elements contained in the jaws respectively; to provide an improved form of pivotal connection for the jaws together with protected electrical contacts associated therewith to close the circuit on both sides of the pivot from one jaw to the other; to provide an insulated refractory heater element of a flexible nature suitable for insertion longitudinally into, and withdrawal from, an elongated jaw chamber while connected by a short lead to the pivotal contacts; and to provide an improved form of handle and 'terminal means adapted for 'swivelconnection to a source of current and having all contacts protected both when connected and when disconnected.

Anillustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the acgompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the curling iron assembled complete. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through one of the members, and shows one'of the heater elements, pivotal contacts, and the current supplytconductor's in side elevation. Fig. 3 is :a similar view of the complementary member with the handle broken away. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on `the'line A-A lof Fig. 1.

, Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line B'-B of Fig. .1. Fig. .6 is a side view of one of the heater elements partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation and shows bead insulated connecting leads therefor. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal axial section through one of the handles and shows 'the swivel plugconnection of the current supply conductors.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the porcelain Specification of Letters Patent.

shall be few Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

mounting plate carried by the member shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal.

section of one member on line C of Fig. 1.

Fig. l0 is a longitudinal section ofthe com'- 6 and 7 for said jaws respectively, this being in accord with the usual form of construction for such devices. y

Each jaw has an aperture 8 preferably'in the form ofa tubular cavity extending lengthwise through the jaw., the outer end or tip being closed andthe-inner end beingv open, as at 9, and somewhat tortuous as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Each jaw aperture 8 contains and houses a heater element 10 hereinafter described.

. One of the'arms or handles 6 is formed to carry a pair of current-supply ,conductors 12 and 13. For this purpose an aperture or passageway 15 is provided inv said handle preferably'in the form of a tubular opening Vextending lengthwise thereoffrom end to vend. Each handle preferably has an outer shell or grip 16 made of insulating material, such for instance as hard rubber.

Means lfor connecting electrically for a two-.way circuit from one'of said jaws yto the other are provided adjacent tothe pivot 3 preferably `comprising a pair of metallic contacts 18 and 19 carried by one of the members, as on bar 1, and apair of complementary contacts 2O and 21 carried by the tacts being slidable on eachV other.

The' circuit connectmns are preferably ar? ranged to connect the heater elements 10 to the `supply circuit`12-13 in series arrange- 10e ment. Referring to Figs. 2 and '3,the circuit in order is as follows: supply. lead 12, post 77, heater element 10 of Fig. 2, contact 18, contact .20, heater element 10 ofv Fig. 3,

Contact 21, contact 19, and supplyJ lead` 13.' 105 .l

Insulating plates 0r mountings 25, pref'- erably of porcelaimare provided for said other member,I as on bar-2, the coacting conlprising a pair of disks or wall members having flanges 25 on their outward sides respectively. Said plates are perforated centrally at 28 .to receive the pivot means 3', and the opposing inner faces of the members 1 and 2 are hollowed tochambers on the outer sides of the plates l respectively, said plates being perforated' for attachment of the screws to said `con- A tacts. Preferably two screws are provided for each contact. One of each'pair of coacting contacts may to advantage be formed with or have attached thereto a spring portion 33 to coact with the adjacent contact'. The circuit connecting means are attached preferably by securing the ends of the adjoining wires under the heads of said screws. The said flanges on the -mounting plates are apertured on one side, as at 35, to provide a passageway for the leads running to the adjacent heater elements respectively. One of these plates on the bar 1 is also apertured on its opposite side as at 36 to admit the current supply leads 12 and 13 from the handle. Each of said plates is formed to prevent turning pivot'ally in its housing, shoul- ,ders 38 preferably being formed radially one on the outer edge of each plate to project somewhat into the aperture in the correspondingv handle. Preferably an inner flange 39 is also provided on each plate surrounding the pivot means 3 in order to provide insulation between the contact terminals and said pivot means. Insulators preferably in the form of mica plates or washers 40 are placed in the bottom of the plate holding cavities 41 to protect the terminals from contact with members 1 and 2.

The pivot means 3 may be of any desired form, but preferably comprises apair'of concentric cylindrical hub members or flanges 42 and 43 on the members 1 and 2 respectively, and a screw 45 threaded to fit the inner hub member and having a head overlapping the outer hub as shown inFig.

5 so* as to fasten the membersl and 2 to gether in pivotal relation. The flange 42 -abuts against an annular shoulder 47 on minals in the form of spring contacts 50- and 51 mounted on the interior of the handle wall somewhat inward from the outer end, and connectedto the inwardly leading conductors 12 and .13 respectively. For coaction with said contacts a plug 55 is provided having a central tip contact 57 and a sleeve contact 58 insulated therefrom as by a fiber bushing 59 and disposed to the rear thereof. Conductors 60 and 61 leading to any suitable current source (not shown) are connected -to the plug contacts 57 and 58.

ISaid plug is provided with a protective sleeve in the form of an insulating bushing 64 secured thereto and having a forward flange 65 formed to project somewhat past the tip of contact 57 and to coact telescopically With the outer end of the lian- .connected the terminals of said connecting means are all protected by overhanging insulating flanges. j

Each heater element 10 is flexible throughout its length and is preferably 'limp and yielding in character in order to facilitate handling, and particularly to permit of its insertion into the corresponding jaw cavity and withdrawal therefrom without disconnecting such element from its terminal plate 25. Each element 10 comprises a long narrow thread-like core 70 of yielding refractory material, preferably asbestos fiber formed as a cord, on which is wound in spiral arrangement a fine resistance conductor 71 of nichrome wire or the like, and a covering of insulation preferably consisting of a layer of asbestos fiber in the form of a string or'cord wound over the core and conductor. Terminal leads 73 of good conducting material are preferably provided, copper wires being suitable, which leads are connected to the ends of the resistance wire in any suitable manner, as for instance by winding` the terminal wire 73 about the end of the heater element in contact with the resistance wire as at 74. The joint is then covered with insulation. The said terminal leads are provided with durable linsulation 7 adapted to withstand great heat, for w ich purpose a series of glass beads are preferably strung upon the terminal wires. This construction provides for flexibility ofthe leads 73 and provides a vdurable insulation which is reliable and thoroughly protects the wires contained therein. The opposite ends of the terminal wires are fastened to the said sliding contacts on the adjacent mounting plates, ex-

loo

cept that' one of the leads carried by jaw 1 is connected directly to one of the supply conductors 12, a separate terminal 77 being provided therefor on the correspondingterminal plate. a

The operation of the device is as follows: The supply leads are irst connected to a source of current, as by insertion ofthe plug 55 inthe socket formed in the handle, whereupon the heater elements will soon be heated to their normal working temperature. The curling iron may then be operated inthe usual way, both jaws being heated from within respectively, and the circuit from one jaw to the other being maintained at all times through the insulated pivotal con' tacts and for all positions of the jaws.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shownand described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of thisvinvention as defined by the following claims.

I claim: I

l1. An electric curling iron of simple construction'comprising a air of tortuously apertured jaws of smaii weight having` handles respectively, in combination with conducting means arranged in an electric circuit carried by said members and including a pair of slender insulated resistance heater elements, somewhat flexible but v stiff enough for threading mass and light Y readily into the crooked jaw apertures when pushed inward longitudinally, current supply leads,v and connecting means'for said elements and leads.

2. In a curling iron a tortuously apertured crooked frame member containing a' iexible heater element of yielding charac- .ter adapted for threading into the tortuous aperture of said frame and comprising 'a threadlike insulatino` core of refractory fibrous material, a ne wirelike resistance conductor disposed spirally upon said core with its terminals at opposite ends of said core, and an insulating covering of refractory fibrous material overlying said' core and'conductor.

3. An electrically heated device, comprising in combination ayunitary hollow casing member of irregular shape and having a tortuous narrow entrance passage, and an interchangeable flexible heater element housed in the casing aperture, said elementA havin@ a substantial degree of resilience adaptmg it for threading into said aperture through said passage, and incldn a fibrous core and a fibrous insulation o refractory character.,

Signed at Racine this 10th day Vof'September, 1914.

EDWARD SCHWARTZ Witnesses: l

' P. G. RAUSH,

J. B.. SCHULTE. 

